


Gut Feelings

by GreyLiliy



Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One)
Genre: Drama, Forgiveness, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-04
Updated: 2014-08-04
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:41:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23676304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GreyLiliy/pseuds/GreyLiliy
Summary: Ironhide shares a bit of his past with Chromia. They have more in common than she knows.
Relationships: Chromia & Ironhide
Kudos: 3





	Gut Feelings

**Author's Note:**

> [First posted to Tumblr on August 4, 2014 as “TF - Gut Feelings.” Crossposted to Archive of Our Own on April 15, 2020. Original notes have been kept.]
> 
> I was feeling some Chromia & Ironhide. So here it is! :D Spoilers for the end of the series.

“No training session today?” Ironhide asked, walking down the few steps into the pavilion. Chromia drew doodles into the ground with the tip of her halberd, shoulders slumped. Ironhide checked the time, and frowned at the hour. “You two are usually wrapping things up about now.”

Chromia flinched, her hand squeezing hard along her halberd. She flicked off the glowing blade and put it away without a word.

Ironhide hummed, his lips pressed together, and looked around the empty area. Clean, neat, and no sign of anybody else having arrived. He shook his head, and took a seat on the sidewall next to Chromia. He pat the seat next to him. “Let me guess, Windblade didn’t show.”

Chromia remained standing, and her voice was hollow as she answered, “Lucky guess.”

“Shouldn’t let her slack too much,” Ironhide said, tilting his head. He rubbed under his chin, and moved his hand up to rest on the back of his neck. “I know things are still calming down after all the commotion, but take too much of a break and she won’t be ready for next time.”

“I don’t think she wants to be around me right now,” Chromia said. She watched Ironhide out of the corner of her eye, staring at him like he was a pesky Insecticon. “Or ever again.”

“Now, that’s not true,” Ironhide sighed. Chromia’s frown deepened, and his status went from Insecticon to Speck. Ironhide laced his fingers together and chuckled. “She don’t have the spark for that sort of grudge.”

“And what about you?” Chromia asked, turning and staring Ironhide in the optics. She hissed, “Aren’t you mad? I nearly stole your Titan and risked killing over half your city’s citizens to do it.”

“Not really,” Ironhide said. Chromia kept her glare, and he let her. Ironhide leaned back, and looked up at the sky. He dropped his shoulders, and relaxed on the wall. “I learned my lesson about holding grudges over mistakes a long time ago. It’s not worth the pain it causes.”

“How generous,” Chromia said. She turned back around crossed her arms. Her back stood rigid straight, and her red accent lights glowed softly. “You get stabbed in the back that often?”

“Not so much,” Ironhide said. He twirled his finger in a circle, shrugging his shoulders. “And it’s the other way around. It’s your shoes I’ve been in, and being denied forgiveness is something awful. That I know first hand.”

Chromia’s shoulders loosened, and she squeezed her arms instead. The tension shifted around her body, unsure of where it wanted to focus. Chromia asked, “My shoes? You betrayed your best friend and and tried to kill people?”

“To an extent,” Ironhide said, his gaze dropping to look away from Chromia. He pursed his lips and leaned forward on his elbows. “A while ago, near the end of the war, we weren’t doing so well–the Autobots that is.”

Chromia didn’t move, but her head tilted just enough to indicate she was listening. Ironhide nodded once.

“To say we were in bad shape, was an understatement. Everyone was on edge, starving, and there was suspicion of a traitor in the ranks. We were losing the war, and the idea that a traitor might have been helping was something to focus all that frustration and anger onto. I know you may think I’m rather calm and quiet,” Ironhide said, “but that’s a new revelation. I’ve always been the shoot-first, ask questions later type. Hot-headed.”

“You?” Chromia snorted. She turned to face him, her hands dropping to rest on her hips. Chromia huffed, and shook her head. “I don’t believe it.”

“No, no. It’s true. I’m usually level headed, so when my temper gets the best of me, it really gets the best of me,” Ironhide laughed, his shoulders shaking. A flash of light blue, and an angry yellow glare filled his vision, and the laughter died. Ironhide dimmed his optics. “And that temper and desperation to find someone to hit cost me.”

Chromia’s hands fell from her waist, and hung at her sides. Her next question was quiet, thoughtful. “What did you lose?”

“Respect, from others and myself,” Ironhide looked up. He flicke his optics off, and remembered. “As I was saying, we were in a bad place and one of us was a traitor.

"I was at my limit, and angry at everything. Wasn’t thinking, and I jumped to conclusions pegging a young ‘mech named Mirage the traitor. Didn’t have any proof, just my gut instinct. I was desperate for a face to put with our traitor, so when I got even the hint of a lead, I followed it through with a vengeance.”

“So you accused him falsely and it came out later the traitor was someone else?” Chromia asked. “That doesn’t seem too bad.”

“It wouldn’t have been, if 'accuse’ was all I had done,” Ironhide said, flicking his optics back on. He watched Chromia carefully and kept his voice even. “I’ve never been so cruel in my life, as I was in that incident. I not only accused Mirage of being a traitor, but I hit him, too. Hard. I even went so far as to rip off his badge and declare loudly that he wasn’t fit to wear it.

"When the truth came out later, I felt horrible. We all discovered that our betrayal was nothing more than a desperate act from a suffering mech who just wanted peace, and more importantly, not Mirage.” Ironhide vented air heavily, and shook his head. “I’ve never been so ashamed in my life.”

“Did you apologize?” Chromia asked, stepping closer to the wall. She shifted from one leg to the other, her fingers gripping in and out of a fist.

“I-I did. At the time, I thought it was just a simple mistake. I’d lost my temper, nothing more. An apology would make it all right again,” Ironhide said, his voice wavering for a moment. He sucked in air, and held it for ten seconds. “But he didn’t accept it, and said some biting words back that still haunt me some nights. Mirage will never forgive me, I imagine.”

“Quite the grudge,” Chromia said.

“It was, and being denied that forgiveness hurt something fierce,” Ironhide said. He thumped his chest. “A sort of pain that went straight to the spark, and I decided right then and there, that I never wanted anyone else to feel that way.”

“I imagine that does make it easier to forgive others, but,” Chromia paused. She rubbed the side of her hip, and pursed her lips. “Did-did you ever forgive yourself?”

“I did, just like you’ll forgive yourself one day, too. ” Ironhide said. He stood up and put a hand on Chromia’s shoulders. He leaned down, and spoke as gently as he could. “It doesn’t happen overnight, mind you, but you will. You’ll have to if you ever want to move on with your life.”

“And Windblade?” She asked, her optics glowing bright around the edges. “You think she’ll ever forgive me? Or will she be like your Mirage?”

“I’m pretty sure Windblade already has, Chromia,” Ironhide said. He pat her shoulder heavily, and smiled. Ironhide rubbed the back of his neck and scratched. “It’ll take some time for that trust she has in you to come back, but the hard part’s long past.”

“And how do you figure that?” Chromia asked. She crossed her arms again and narrowed her eyes. “How do you know she’s forgiven me?”

Ironhide’s optics flickered, and he squeezed her shoulder. “You’re still here.”

Chromia’s mouth dropped open and snapped it shut. She pushed Ironhide’s arm off with a scowl. “That doesn’t mean anything.”

“It’s a start,” Ironhide said. He put his hands on his hips, and nodded once. “And I got a gut feeling about this–she’s already forgiven you, and is probably just waiting for an apology to make it official.”

“After your gut feeling about Mirage, I’m not sure if I trust that,” Chromia said, her lips curling into a tiny smirk. She punched him in the gut, and left her knuckles resting on his plating. “Doesn’t seem very reliable.”

“Fair point,” Ironhide said, grinning a bit. He tapped her arm with a single finger. “But I’m still right.”

Chromia shook her head, and crossed her arms. She sighed, “Stubborn.”

“I am,” Ironhide laughed. He slapped Chromia on the back, and stretched out. “And so are you. But, forgiveness or not, I think it’s time you tracked that little flier of yours down.”

“And why is that?”

“Because, forgiveness or not, Windblade shouldn’t be skipping out on training sessions, now should she?” Ironhide asked.

“No, she shouldn’t,” Chromia agreed. She rubbed her fingers together and looked up at Ironhide. Chromia licked the side of her lips, and her optics darted to the side and back, almost unsure. “Care to help me drag her out here? She’s feisty, and I might need the assist.”

Ironhide bowed, and grinned, “Would be my pleasure, Ma'am.”

Chromia laughed, and it was the best sound Ironhide had heard all week.


End file.
